CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Tim Cindric, president of Team Penske and Roger Penske's longtime right-hand man on competition, will step back as the overall leader of the organization but remain president of the IndyCar program.
Cindric joined Penske in 1999 and oversaw the operations in NASCAR, IndyCar, and sports car racing in IMSA and the World Endurance Championship series. Team Penske is coming off a banner 2024 season in which it won the Rolex 24 at Daytona, a second consecutive Indianapolis 500, a third consecutive NASCAR Cup Series championship, and the IMSA and WEC titles.
Cindric also oversees Penske Technology Group, Penske Restoration, the Penske Heritage Center and the Penske Racing Museum. He has been a part of 10 Indy 500 wins, three Daytona 500 victories, and overall wins at the 12 Hours of Sebring and the Rolex.
He is also a race strategist for two-time Indianapolis 500 and two-time IndyCar champion Josef Newgarden. The team did not say if Cindric will continue in that role in the restructuring announced Friday.
Team Penske did say Cindric will have oversight on the team's racing archives and historical assets, while Ron Ruzewski will continue as managing director for the IndyCar team.
"I have lived my dream job for the past 25 years as the overall leader of the Penske Racing organization. I've had the opportunity to work with some of the best people in the business while achieving many milestones together," Cindric said. "I've decided I need to make a change that provides me with the flexibility I need at this stage of my career. I appreciate the understanding Roger has provided throughout our conversations and I'm confident this team will continue to succeed as we have a proven leadership team in all areas."
Cindric, who is the father of NASCAR driver Austin Cindric, last year was embroiled in an IndyCar scandal in which Newgarden and teammate Scott McLaughlin were found to have illegally used the push-to-pass boost system during the season-opening race when it should not have been programmed to work.
The scandal led to Newgarden and McLaughlin being stripped of their first and second-place finishes, and Cindric and Ruzewski were suspended for two races.
On the NASCAR side of operations, Team Penske said Michael Nelson will retain his role as president of the program and vice president of operations. Jonathan Diuguid will continue as managing director of Porsche Penske Motorsport.
Both Nelson and Diuguid will report directly to Roger Penske.